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Posted on 04/25/2003 8:06:14 PM PDT by mhking
[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 4/26/03 ]
Legislature approves new flag; no chance for vote on Confederate emblem
The Associated Press
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The Georgia Legislature approved a new state flag Friday and removed any chance that the Confederate battle emblem could be restored to the state banner.
If approved by the governor, the new flag will echo a Confederate national flag, but without the familiar Dixie cross, which black lawmakers called a symbol of oppression.
Next March, Georgia voters will choose between the temporary flag and the current Georgia flag. But there will never be a vote on the old state flag and its Confederate battle cross.
Black lawmakers cheered and some wept when the proposal passed. The Senate approved it 33-23, and the House approved it by the narrowest margin, 91-86, with the speaker casting the deciding vote. The 91 votes were the minimum needed for passage.
"This gives the people a flag based on history, but yet looking to the future," said Democratic Sen. George Hooks, a white Democrat who helped design the temporary banner.
Southern heritage advocates, who have been calling for a statewide referendum on the Confederate battle emblem flag, called the new flag a betrayal.
"We'll be making our displeasure known in short order," said Rusty Henderson of the Heritage Preservation Association.
Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue had called for a yes-no vote on the temporary flag. Then, if the temporary flag lost, voters would have had a chance to vote on the Confederate battle emblem flag.
But the flag bill sponsor, Rep. Glenn Richardson, R-Dallas, indicated the governor likely would be willing to sign the bill as approved by both chambers.
"It was as tight as it gets," Richardson said. "Georgia's divided; it's obvious we need to have a vote on this."
Civil rights leaders had denounced Perdue's initial plan and promised an economic boycott if the bill was not changed to remove any chance to vote on a Confederate emblem.
Georgia's flag was changed in 2001 to shrink the Confederate symbol partly to avoid economic boycotts like the one aimed at South Carolina, which flies the rebel banner on state Capitol grounds.
Business leaders in Atlanta have warned the boycotts could cripple tourism, Georgia's No. 2 industry, credited with bringing $16 billion a year to the state.
The civil rights groups said they may call for a boycott if any referendum on the flag is approved. The temporary flag also has Confederate roots, they said.
"This is a heinous proposal," said NAACP member Michael Bond, who is the son of NAACP chairman Julian Bond. "It's still a Confederate flag. It's completely objectionable."
Any boycott would be announced Saturday after an NAACP meeting in Macon.
The device on the other side is three pillars supporting an arch, with the word "Constitution" engraved within the same, emblematic of the Constitution, supported by the three departments of government, namely the legislative, judicial, and executive. The first pillar has engraved upon it "Wisdom," the second, "Justice," the third, "Moderation"; on the right of the last pillar a man stands with a drawn sword, representing the aid of the military in the defense of the Constitution, and the motto is "State of Georgia, 1776."
I just noticed the date on the story - Confederate Memorial Day.
It is none of your damn business, Arkansaw. I have had family in Georgia for the better part of 200 years, under many flags. My great-great-grandfathers sword from the Civil War is leaning against the wall in my living room. If anyone has any skin in this issue, it should be me.
But this entire mess is a losing proposition that started with bad decisions by the legislature in 1956, when, by the way, there was no 'vote' to change it. It was handled badly by the Barnes gang. It will never be resolved to the satisfaction of everyone, no matter what is tried, including a public vote. It is a losing issue, and it is a total distraction for more pragmatic matters. The 'flaggots" (a Neal Boortz expression) have been as manipulative as the NAACP, and neither of them are representing my state as far as I am concerned.
This flag is a great compromise, and I would wish that we could all just declare victory and move the hell on.
If this was the Texas flag, you might not get to choose your hill.................it might be chosen for you.
Take it on back home, if you please.
Yes, I think so. That's what everyone was promised - a vote on the flag.
Now, personally, I think it should have been a multiple-choice question - do you want (a) the current flag (b) the previous flag or (c) the proposed flag?
That would have let everyone have their say without the cumbersome 2-stage thing.
That's the ONLY flag you've had....we've had plenty.
I ain't so attached.
You're not a flaggot.
Those exist ONLY in Georgia.
This is the STATE flag we are changing...NOT the Confederate.
History does not record who made the first Georgia state flag, when it was made, what it looked like, or who authorized its creation. Probably, the banner originated in one of the numerous militia units that existed in antebellum Georgia.
In 1861, a new provision was added to Georgia's code requiring the governor to supply regimental flags to Georgia militia units assigned to fight outside the state. These flags were to depict the "arms of the State" and the name of the regiment, but the code gave no indication as to the color to be used on the arms or the flag's background. In heraldry, "arms" refers to a coat of arms, which is the prominent design--usually shown on a shield--located at the center of an armorial bearing or seal. Arms usually appear on seals, but they are not synonymous with seals.
Based on the best available evidence, the above flag is a reconstruction of the pre-1879 Georgia state flag as it would have appeared using the coat of arms from the 1799 state seal.
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